My invention relates to a device for severing the head from the neck of slaughtered poultry which, hanging by its legs, is moving on a conveyor track, comprising two oblong guides which extend in the direction of transport in such a way that their edges facing each other are at a short distance from one the other, the plane through the edges diverging in the direction of transport with respect to the level of the conveyor track.
Such a device is known per se. In these known devices the birds the neck of which is cut into at a particular location, are introduced by their head inbetween the guides. Since the plane of the guides diverges with respect to the level of the conveyor track and the head together with the jaws is retained behind the guides, the head, with the tendons connected therewith, is pulled from the neck.
This known device has the drawback that this pulling loose is not done uniformly and at the same location, owing to the fact that the friction between the heads and the guides is not constant, so that the heads get more or less stuck between the guides. The birds move jerkily along the guide rods and frequently a number of birds accumulate at the beginning of the device. Often obstructions occur since the heads with wind pipes and gullets remain hanging between the guides. It occurs often that the head turns through an angle e.g. 90.degree. against the direction of transport whereby the bill is torn off. Then the gullet tears off at the location of the tongue instead of by the crop, as is desired, while also the wind pipe tears off there instead of by the lungs. All this results in that a product is obtained which as regards the quality, does not quite measure up to accepted standars and which has a worse appearance.